DAYLIGHT FOR CHILE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 289, 5 December 1936, Page 17

DAYLIGHT FOR CHILE.

SUMMER TIME ALL YEAR. DISLIKED BY SHOPS AND THEATRES. SANTIAGO (Chile). After one year's trial period of permanent summer time in which the experience of all classes was taken into account, the Government lias decided that the country's best interests are served by a definite continuation of the arrangement. Chile, therefore, is now considered on summer time, that is, the same as eastern standard time, for all seasons. The mass of the public, especially farmers and city business men, are pleased with the decision. An informal referendum, conducted by newspapers and Government departments over a long period, revealed interesting reactions among various classes, but it was evident that the general public —the "man in the street"—had most to do with the change. The average citizen just could not be bothered with changing his clock twice a year and having his personal habits seriously affected for a month each year. It was pointed out that his household and office arrangements were upset for a fortnight when the time was put forward and another fortnight when it was put back. The farmer also had a good deal to say. At first he was indifferent and stuck to his old time all the year round. But this indifference could not be continued, because the farmer who depended on the city markets also depended on the railroads, which ran on official time. The transportation of milk, corn and products became muddled. As highways are only beginning to be developed in South America, the railroads play a dominant role in national transportation. When operated by the State, as in Chile, they soon get their own way. Constant changing of schedules, entailing heavy printing bills and freight difficulties in various parts of the country which rebelled against time alterations, convinced the management that an all-the-vear-time was necessary. All these interests argued that if it was a good thing to save daylight in summer, why not do it all the year round? But their main idea was to have a single and permanent time. Storekeepers provided the greatest opposition. Arguing through their organisations, they were frankly hostile to too much daylight. They reckoned that an extra hour's daylight each day, especially in the winter, cost them sales losses of thousands of dollars. It had been proved to their disadvantage, they said, that customers did not like coming out into the streets while it was still light. Movie theatre operators supported this contention. A little more darkness would be good for their box office receipts, they declared. In the Argentine, where the summer time issue lias yet to "be definitely decided, there is much more opposition.